


Starless

by Soulberries



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Doza could not give less of a fuck, Gen, Nuzlocke Challenge, Pokemon Platinum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-26 01:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulberries/pseuds/Soulberries
Summary: The piplup chirruped in her arms, and she fixed it with a considering look."I think I'll call you Tubs," She decided, ignoring the squeak of protest  from her new companion."This should be fun."





	Starless

    The blue haired girl groaned at the sounds of the early morning bustle downstairs. Her mother and their glameow seemed like quiet types from afar, but they were anything but.

   "Doza, I know you're awake up there!"

The girl steepled her hands, exasperated, from where she sat nursing a soda at her desk.

   "It's too early to do chores, mom."

She called down blankly, and there was a pause.

  "Sweetheart, It's twelve! Goodness, get down here before your little friend comes over to get you."

   Twelve.

Doza groaned loudly, throwing her head back. Marathoning Pokéstars last night was a mistake.

   "...Coming."

  She stretched as she stood, feeling her back pop when she reached for her coat and hat. 

   She plodded down in the moody way only fifteen year olds can pull off. Her mother's all too energetic face greeted her, offering a bowl of cereal.

   "His mom called a few minutes ago to say he was looking for you, so run along!"

   Doza took the dismissal with a dull nod of her head. She turned to the door, pushing it open brutishly.

  Her sluggish escape was impeded when the door smacked into someone on the other side, eliciting an indignant yelp and a crash as her friend fell off of the porch. Opening it revealed a disheveled looking blonde in an orange and white striped shirt that screamed 'This boy should not be allowed to dress himself'.

    "Oh, Doza! Fancy meeting you here," He stood with a wince, giving her a once over.

   "Who did you expect to be in my house?" She kept her face blank, radiating the usual 'fuck off' vibes that he was all too happy to ignore.

   "Precious little Mittens, of course!" He peered past her to where her mom's glameow lounged on the back of the couch, "But really, Professor Rowan's back in Sinnoh and he's totally giving out pokemon, c'mon!"

   All she got out of that was that she wasn't going to get to go back to sleep this morning.

  "Sounds great," The words came dryly,  the girl stepping further outside and shutting the door with a click, "Why's he in Twinleaf, though? We barely qualify as a town."

  "Well-" He jumped down from the porch, "He's not _exactly_ in Twinleaf town, but he's just down the road!"

  Doza snorted. She fell into step next to him, shoving her hands in her pockets  as he dauntlessly led her to the edge of town.

  "And you want to get there without any pokémon?"

   "Hey, don't worry!" He stilled briefly as they came to the edge of the dark grass ahead, "I have a plan."

   "It doesn't involve trying to put a harness on a wild bidoof again, does it?"

   "That," He pointedly looked at her, "Was two years ago. Thirteen year olds are clinical dumbasses."

  "Are you sure you're fifteen, then?"

That earned her a hard elbow.

  "You're lucky you're the only other kid in Twinleaf Town," The boy stuck out his tongue, fishing something out of his pocket, "We'll be fine, because my dad gave me this last time he visited."

   Doza took the repel into her hands, turning it over and shriveling her nose, "How old is this, then?"

  He laughed sheepishly, "Two years?"

   "It's definitely expired."  
      
  "Nah, It's all chemicals. It'd still work ten years from now. One is only enough to spray down one person, so I figure instead of that we'll just leg it, and if a pokémon bothers us, we spray the shit out of it."

  That was a terrible plan, probably the worst one she'd heard in months.

  "Fuck it, let's go."

If they got mauled by a pack of feral pokémon, it was all on him. She was just along for the ride.

  "I knew you'd be down!" He grinned, grabbing back the repel, "On my mark!"

  Without warning, Barry burst forward without her. As soon as his foot touched the dark grass, like they'd inadvertently summoned something otherworldly, a voice rang out with enough authority to make her friend freeze.

  "Hold it!"

Doza turned, a little shook, and blinked owlishly at the man striding towards them.

  Barry scampered back to her side, lingering just behind her.

   Coward.

  When he was given no response, he rubbed his temples with a sigh.

  "You two clearly aren't trainers, so may I ask what you're doing charging full speed into potential danger?"

  A boy that looked younger than them followed the man, holding a heavy suitcase and looking at them with wide eyes.

  "Professor, who's this?"

"The name's Barry, and this is Doza!" Her friend chimed helpfully from behind her.

   "Sir," She pushed down an oncoming eye roll, "I would like to be the first to tell you that this entire thing is Barry's fault."

  "Dude!" The blonde squeaked, shouldering her, "Uncool!"

  The professor seemed to consider them for a long moment.

  "Why were you traveling to Sandgem Town, anyhow?"

  "We were going to ask you for pokémon, Professor Rowan."

   Her tone was dry enough to make him sigh. She had a way of having that effect.

   "Is that so?"

  "Yessir!" Barry peered over her shoulder.

  "Well," He glanced to his assistant, "Lucas, do you mind?"

   "Professor, you have to be joking."

"If I was joking, you would know."

   The red capped boy relented, crouching before unclasping the suitcase and letting it fall open. Inside were three pokéballs, indiscernable from one another except for small elemental themed engravings above each rim.

   "Take your pick," The professor smiled for the first time, gesturing to the case.

   "Oh my God, this is so cool! I call first pick!" Barry fist pumped, and Doza watched in amusement as he immediately singled out the one on the far left. 

   She didn't particularly care which one she got, so she picked the one on the right at random.

  "Thanks," She mumbled, tired eyes flitting to meet the professor's.

  "Anytime, young lady. When you reach Sandgem town, drop by my lab."

  "Will do!" Barry was practically glowing when the professor and his little assistant disappeared deeper into the route.

   "That," She decided, "Was weird. Isn't he like, legally obligated to get parental consent before giving minors pokémon?"

  "Who cares! We're officially pokémon trainers, Doza!"

   "I guess we are."

  "You know what that means, right?"

    "...That you're about to challenge me to a battle."

   "I sure fucking am!" He bounced like a child, "Go, whatever's in here!"

  His ball hit the ground and a red light burst free, leaving behind a turtwig when it dissipated.

   Hers left behind a piplup.

  "Turtwig, head smash!"

The grass type looked back at its new trainer in confusion. Doza took the opportunity to command her own pokémon.

   "Uh, Piplup, attack."

The pokémon lunged for the turtwig after a moment of hesitation, knocking it with a smack of its wing. It made a surprised sound, but didn't budge.

   "Turtwig, do something!"

  _"Twi-twig!"_

    The pokémon was enveloped in blue light, rippling from its shell.

   Withdraw.

  "Keep on hitting it, piplup. Raising defense doesn't make it invincible."

  Piplup obliged, pounding it with attack after attack. When Turtwig retaliated, the tackle send her pokémon rolling across the ground. She was concerned for a moment before the little thing sprung back to its feet.

_"Plup!"_

And charged right back in. The creature was dedicated, at least. The battle drew on for longer than Doza would've liked, but by the end it was Barry who called back his pokémon in defeat.

"Wow, your piplup's pretty tough!"

"You probably would've won if you stopped telling Turtwig to use moves it doesn't know."

He huffed, crossing his arms. Piplup seemed proud of itself, and Doza scooped it up sluggishly.

"I'm beat," Barry shrugged off the loss after his moment of moping, "I'm gonna head home, okay? We can head off to Sandgem Town later."

She nodded as Barry took off, no doubt to gush to his mom about the events.

Piplup chirruped in her arms, and she fixed it with a considering look.

"I think I'll call you Tubs," She decided, ignoring the squeak of protest from her new companion.

"This should be fun."


End file.
